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I bought this solid wood armoire on Craigslist for $40..including delivery!

Perfect for the kitchen pantry storage I need and don’t have in my small kitchen space!

Sorry I didn’t get a “before”, I was excited to get started, and forgot to take a before picture. All I’ve done here is prime the knots in the wood with Zinsser Primer.

I cleaned out the cabinet with vinegar and a clean cloth and let dry.

I then primed the entire cabinet, inside and out.

(Note: It took me about 4 coats of primer to cover the knotty pine. Even using a great primer such as Zinsser, which is a stain blocker! Don’t get discouraged, eventually, the knots will stop bleeding through, and Zinsser dries pretty quickly!)

Then I made some chalk paint with some leftover white paint. Directions for making homemade chalk paint can be found HERE. I did two coats of the chalkpaint, letting it dry a day between coats. (Although, this is summer in the very humid Key West, a climate with less moisture in the air may take less drying time!)

I sanded the edges with medium grit sandpaper to give it a lightly distressed look.

Wanted to give the back a pop of color. Started with the same blue used on my walls.

Added a pattern with a stencil. I purchased this one at Cutting Edge Stencils. They’ve got some great patterns, and they are super easy to use! I know this isn’t perfect, but hey, its hard to paint way in the back of a cabinet 30 inches deep!

And you can’t tell after I filled it in with all these beautiful vibrant colors!

I added some decorative shabby appliques purchased on eBay at Do It Yourself Chic. They have some really great appliques that will turn any boring or outdated furniture into fabulous! Highly recommend trying these out if you haven’t yet!

Always attach appliques on a flat surface using E6000. I don’t care what anyone says, it’s the strongest adhesive out there!

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Make these Mason Jar Illuminated Snow Scenes, it’s easier than you’d think! Having grown up in snowy New England, I’ll always miss snow..but only around the holidays! So I always bring snow into my holiday decorating. What a nice way to display a collection of bottle brush trees or some glittery putz houses! Read on to find out how!

I feel like everyone is afraid to drill glass. Its easy, I’ll show you how.

What you’ll need:

Dremel

Dremel Diamond Drill Bits (these are made for drilling through glass)

Glass Vase

Artificial Snow

Battery Operated Wired Led String Lights

Plastic Bowl of Water

Set out your materials. I did this demonstration with a glass vase from the dollar store. Look at it this way, if you mess it up on your first try, you only lose a dollar! If you aren’t familiar with drilling glass, try this before moving on to a vintage vase or jar.

Sorry my workspace is so messy!

Set out a plastic bowl of water big enough for the vase to sit in. The key to glass drilling is both the glass and the drill bit need to be wet. I’ve drilled underwater like some will recommend, but its not necessary. Read on..

Set vase in bowl. Figure out where you want your hole to be, somewhere close to the back on the lower half. Make sure you have on protective eyewear, or at least sunglasses(Ok, I never really needed them, if you keep your work surface wet, blasting won’t be a issue, but since this is a tutorial for beginners I shall tell you to wear them.. 🙂 Set your drill to a lower setting. I like 5. Slow and steady wins the race..

Start drilling. Keep your wrist steady. The sludge that you see? Its the glass turning back into sand! It’s like the opposite of what the guy did in Sweet Home Alabama!! Really love that movie.. (and please don’t get me started on whether or not making sculptures is possible to do this way, I don’t care it’s just a movie!!)

I digress..so if you see sludge, it’s time to dip the vase and diamond bit in water, drill, sludge, dip, drill, sludge, dip…continue..go slow, you’ll be able to “feel” when you pop through.

When you have created your hole, check to make sure your lights fit through the opening.

Good to go? Clean and dry the vase out, and stuff the lights through the opening..

Then fill with snow, and whatever else you want! Oh the possibilities!

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Learn how to make a glittered palm frond tree in less than an hour.. perfect for any coastal themed holiday decor! Want to know what I like most about decorating with trees? You can put them up whenever, and leave them up till you feel like taking them down..trees are trees and make great year round décor. Imagine how cute this would look on a coastal mantel at Thanksgiving! Read on to find out how to make these with stuff you may already have around the house..

Stuff you’ll need:

-Palm fronds

-Glue gun

-Glitter (try the dollar store if you don’t have any)

-liquid gold leaf (can be found at any craft store or on Amazon for $8.46 prime shipping)

-cone shape (less than $2.00 at most craft stores)

Palm fronds can be found everywhere in Florida. We have a couple of coconut palms that are constantly shedding. Its a great natural product to use, and best yet, it’s FREE! If you don’t have a tree, just look around on yard waste pickup day..

Start by cutting pieces of palm frond. Its not an exact science, I cut mine in 1-4 inch lengths.

Dip a cut frond piece in the paint. If you have paint in a little glass vial like I used, just dip till it hits bottom, this will ensure the paint is even on all the fronds. Immediately dip the painted end of the palm in glitter. The glitter will stick to the wet paint.

Dab a dot of hot glue to the unpainted end of the frond. Attach to bottom of cone so that the painted/glittered end brushes against the bottom. Repeat all steps, working your way first around the bottom, then up the tree. Go back and fill in any spots that look bare. Easy, right?

Glue gun tip: Glue guns are messy. And I burn my fingers every time. Essential in my life however. When you are satisfied with how your tree looks, and are sure the paint is fairly dry, hit it with a hairdryer. All those annoying stringy strands of spiderweb glue will magically disappear.

Go back and fill in any spots that look bare.

Love this! Looks so cute displayed with my tiny driftwood house!

I may try another soon. I’d like to try to whitewash the fronds, and use silver paint and silver glass glitter. What do you think? Thanks for visiting VintageKeyWest!

-Rebecca

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I found this beautiful acrylic seascape at a Goodwill a couple years ago, couldn’t decide what to do with it..then while trying to come up to display jewelry at Oceanfest Key West, it all came together!

Just refreshed the wood frame with some bright distressed paint, drilled some holes directly into the acrylic board, and inserted some drawer knobs.. super easy jewelry display!

I had some acrylic knobs I wasn’t using, and picked up the adorable pewter starfish knobs on clearance at Ace for $2.00. Couple coats of paint on the starfish and..

Super cute display. People were definitely drawn to it, I sold all of my necklaces in stock. Couple people even tried to purchase the display itself!

Thanks for visiting! -Rebecca

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I live in a tiny attic apartment in old town, Key West. I pay for my location. I do certainly not pay for my storage, because I don’t have any. One tiny closet in the whole apartment! I’ve been wanting a sideboard/credenza/buffet/dry sink for a while. Just somewhere to store my good dishes- the – vintage pieces I pull out on holidays. I have expensive taste. I want a solid wood piece I can refinish. Been looking a while, but of course, everything I want is upwards of $800. Not going to work. I found this dresser on Wayfair for $249.00. It’s called the Huntington 8 drawer dresser. Laminate, hmm, I can work with this! It’s in my budget, and will provide the storage I need. It took me and a very patient friend 3 1/2 hours to assemble.(thanks Tim!) Definitely a two person job. I’m pretty handy, and no way could I have done this alone. Sturdily built, only a few minor issues matching up dowels to holes. Now the fun part. First, I sanded with my mouse and medium grit paper, just enough to take the shine off. Then I painted some areas blue that I wanted to show through the topcoat. Here’s my new toy, a Miss Mustard Seed Wax Puck. Great for distressing furniture! Just slide the puck over anything you are planning to distress and want that color to show through. (See Photo)Next, I added some furniture appliques. These are my new best friend. I buy them from Do It Yourself Chic on Ebay.

So much fun! She makes these “molds” with wood filler. She’s got a huge selection ranging to price from $1-$70. All you do is glue them on! I use my go to adhesive, E-6000. It NEVER comes off! Now, 2 coats of Zinsser primer, and she’s ready to paint.

I make my own chalk paint with good results -Budget, budget, budget! I scoured the returned paint shelf at Ace Hardware. I found a pint of winter white paint for $2. Done! Mix it with a tablespoon or two of unsanded tile grout,then add a splash of water. I usually end up adding water a couple of times, as it tends to thicken. Just try to keep it at the same consistency throughout -not too runny. Think of the consistency of Elmer’s Glue. Two coats. 4 hours. Then, buff with a clean cloth, 2 coats of polyacrylic, and done!

To finish it off, I added some clear and acrylic knobs I had on hand. Now I have TONS of storage! What do you think?

For those that haven’t had the pleasure of visiting the Marc Plant Store, a little background.. The Monroe County Association for reMARCable Citizens is a non-profit organization here in the Florida Keys designed to provide employment for adults with developmental disabilities. Its great to see these guys landscaping around town! Also, the plant store has amazing products. Worth a visit if you’re here in the Keys!

This is what I picked up to play with..

****NOTE: I strongly advise you to wear gloves. I did not wear gloves. BIG mistake!

Originally, I had planned on putting a plastic plant liner at the bottom of my cage like ones I’ve seen on

Pinterest. I couldn’t find one that fit snugly, so I opted to go a different route. This is what I came up with..

Vintage milk glass, a silver creamer, and a tea cup..perfect!(although I later switched the small milk glass with the creamer)

Way better than the original plan!

To plant, I placed some moss and potting soil in the bottom of each “pot”.

CAREFULLY repot the succulents, filling in with potting soil around the edges.

(I do not recommend the plastic bag on hand method that I used. Really.

Buy gloves!! These teeny tiny needles feel like fiberglass!)

Love this project. It was super easy and fits right in in my bedroom. I like it with